


A Good Catch

by DavidtheWriter (DavidtheTraveler)



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Giant/Tiny Content, Secret Sanders G/t Event 2019, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:06:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21895618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DavidtheTraveler/pseuds/DavidtheWriter
Summary: Patton’s about to get captured by a human, and he’s not looking forward to what will happen when he’s caught.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton, Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton & Thomas Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders & Thomas Sanders
Comments: 10
Kudos: 65





	A Good Catch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Theatresweetheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theatresweetheart/gifts).



“Hey! Get back here!”

Patton didn’t listen, hurrying to get somewhere safe. But he was in the dining room, with nothing to hide under where his pursuer couldn’t reach. He ducked quickly behind one of the table legs, listening as a set of large feet crept past him.

“I know you couldn’t have gotten far. Show yourself, and I won’t hurt you.”

Patton was tempted to take the deal. He knew what was coming if he got caught trying to flee. But he couldn’t, he just couldn’t give himself away.

Carefully, he peaked around the leg. The large pair of feet was moving into the kitchen, away from the living room, where there was an old wall entrance under the couch. If he ran for it once the human was in the kitchen, he might be able to make it before it realized.

He watched carefully as the feet moved further into the kitchen. He’d have to time it just right. Just a little further…even with the oven…and…now.

Patton dashed from his hiding place and made straight for the couch. But in his haste to make a break for it, he didn’t even hear what was coming up behind him. Not until he found himself surrounded by fingers, which clutched him tightly.

“Gotcha!”

Patton found himself being grabbed by the back of his shirt, two of the human’s fingers holding it as the human lifted him high, high into the air as it stood back up. Fear gripped his heart as he looked up to meet the human’s triumphant gaze.

“Finally, I got you. And now that I have you…”

The human lifted the tiny figure towards its face, and reached toward it with his other hand. Closer and closer it came. Finally, it made contact, and proceeded to tickle his exposed stomach.

Patton giggled, cackled, guffawed. He couldn’t help it. Thomas knew all of his secret tickle spots. Of course, he knew all of Thomas’ as well, but it was a lot harder for him to tickle his big human friend than the other way around.

Thomas laughed along as he continued to giggle, but found himself having a hard time keeping hold of Patton’s shirt as he curled and wiggled beneath the onslaught.

“Stop squirming, I don’t want to drop you!” Thomas said.

“We-ell then s-s-stop ti-i-ckling me a-and put me d-d-down!” Patton managed to get out between laughs.

Finally, Thomas relented and carefully placed Patton down on the kitchen table, taking a seat at it as well. After a few moments, Patton was able to catch his breath and looked up at Thomas with a smirk.

“You doing alright?” Thomas asked once he saw he’d calmed down.

“Yep, I’m good, kiddo. How about you?”

“I think I’ve had enough for today. I mean, it’s fun and all to chase you guys around sometimes, but…”

Thomas paused, an odd expression in his face. Patton moved over to where Thomas’ hand was resting on the table, gently rubbing what he could of it.

“But what, kiddo?”

Thomas sighed, looking away from Patton. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s fun and all to do it, but…but when I saw that terrified look on your face after I grabbed you…I…I just…”

Patton’s heart fell at the pain in Thomas’ voice. After a moment, he tapped on Thomas’ hand to get his attention, and then motioned for him to pick him up. Thomas laid out his palm, and Patton climbed onto it so Thomas could lift him to face level.

“Now, you don’t worry about that, kiddo. I wouldn’t have agreed to do this with you if I wasn’t sure that I’d be safe with you. You know we all trust you. We know even if you do start to actually catch us when we play this game that you won’t do anything to us. You’re our kiddo, and we love you, and you love us.”

“But then why am I so…worked up about this? Why can’t I just…just get over it like you can? I mean, you looked…you looked so…terrified. And I made you feel that way.”

Patton leaned forward to rest his hand on Thomas’ nose, a sad smile on his face.

“Just the fact that you feel that way shows how much you really care. It shows how you’ll never be the one to hurt us.”

“But what about you? You were so afraid at what had happened. I saw it.”

“So? You, Roman, and Virgil like to watch those horror movies, even though they freak you guys out so much. What’s the difference?”

“But we know that those movies can’t actually hurt us.”

“And I know you won’t actually hurt me. I trust you, kiddo, and so do the others. Just because I’m scared of the situation doesn’t mean I’m ever scared of you.”

Thomas thought for a moment, then allowed a small smile to appear on his face. Patton returned it before leaning in further and hugging Thomas’ face, which Thomas reciprocated gently with his other hand. After a few moments, Patton leaned away, and Thomas carefully returned him to the table top.

“Besides, we should be celebrating. You actually caught me this time.”

“Yeah, yeah I did.” Thomas almost seemed unable to believe it himself. “I actually caught one of you. What were the odds?”

“I’m sure we could ask Logan. But I’d like to think it means you’re getting better. Which means we’ve got to start getting better. We don’t want your parents managing to catch us.”

Thomas made to agree, but the sound of the front door unlocking behind him interrupted.

A stab of panic coursed through the pair of them, but this wasn’t the first time they’d cut it this close. Without thinking, Thomas quickly but carefully grabbed Patton up and ran to his room, shutting the door behind him. He quickly ducked down next to his bed, depositing Patton underneath so he could head to the wall entrance there.

“Sorry, I forgot they were coming home early today.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo. We’ll come see you after they’ve gone to bed.”

Thomas nodded, then jumped up onto the bed to act like he’d been hanging in there as Patton ducked further beneath it. A moment later, the door to the bedroom opened, and a pair of high heeled shoes stepped in.

“There you are, Thomas.”

Patton couldn’t see Thomas, but it sounded like he was thumbing through a magazine as he replied. “Hey, Mom, what’s up?”

“Your dad and I just got home and I wanted to check on you. Everything going alright?”

“Everything’s fine, Mom.” Thomas’ voiced sounded a tad strained.

There was a pause. Patton feared that Mrs. Sanders might be wondering what might have Thomas in a mood and start asking questions. But then after a moment she let out a resigned sigh, as if she had come to expect some clipped tones from her teenage son on occasion.

“Alright then. Why don’t you come help your father and me with dinner?”

“Okay then.”

And Thomas followed her out, shutting the door behind him.

Patton waited a moment more before making his way to the entrance, carefully slipping in and shutting it again. Once inside, he jumped into the small bucket and began hoisting himself up until he was level with the top of the first floor. Tying off the bucket, he then headed along the passage until he entered into the large hollowed out space where he and his three fellow borrowers had set up their secret home.

Virgil was in the corner working on some new clothes for Logan. The scraps Thomas had lent them had apparently been exactly what they needed, as he appeared to be almost done creating a new borrower sized tie for their logical roommate.

Roman wasn’t in the main room, but the sound of his grunting told Patton he was working on his sword skills in the next room. Granted, the sewing pin he had appropriated wasn’t exactly a sword, even to them, but their fanciful friend had insisted on it, so they let it slide. Except for Virgil’s teasing, but the two’s bickering had shifted recently into good natured banter, which Patton saw as a good sign.

Finally, Logan was sitting at the makeshift table where the four of them took their meals, writing in his personal journal he’d fashioned out of odds and ends he’d found in the Sanders’ office. It was he who noticed Patton first.

“Patton, you have returned.”

Logan’s observation grabbed Virgil’s attention, who looked up and sprouted a friendly smirk at the sight of him.

“Hey, Pat. How was your day with Thomas?”

“Awesome as always, Virge. He actually managed to catch me today.”

“He did?” Logan asked, his brow furrowed. “That could be troubling. If he is able to catch us, then we could be slipping up in our ability to hide from humans.”

“Or maybe he’s just getting better at it? I mean he is twelve now, and I’m pretty sure he’s reached his growth spurt. I know it’s hard for us to tell, but I’m almost certain he’s grown a bit lately. Our little boy, growing up.”

Patton’s eyes began to tear up a bit. Virgil got up from where he was sitting and wrapped him in a hug, though his face betrayed how bemused he was at Patton’s reaction. Logan simply considered Patton’s reasoning.

“Perhaps. Never the less, it would probably do well for us to try harder to not be caught by him. So long as we can avoid it with him, we can ensure we will not be found by his parents, or any other humans who might wish to capture us.”

“Capture who now?” Roman asked as he entered the room, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Thomas actually caught me today!”

“Really? Atta boy! He is becoming a strapping young lad, isn’t he? And of course it’s thanks to my efforts to train him up.”

“Sure, and he’s become so confident in himself thanks to my efforts to help his mental state,” Virgil retorted, earning a glare from Roman.

“In any case,” Logan interrupted before the two could exchange more barbs, “I do believe our relationship with Thomas has done both him and ourselves well, and we should continue to utilize it to hone our skills as well as help him with his own.”

“So would you say he was a…good catch?”

Patton’s pun was met with a groan from Logan and muffled snickering from Roman and Virgil. After a moment, Logan opted to ignore the egregious pun and move the conversation ahead.

“Will we be meeting with him again later tonight?”

“Yep. I already let him know that we’d come by once his parents were asleep.”

“Very well then. For now, it would probably be best for us to eat. That way we can be properly nourished and energized in time for tonight’s rendezvous.”

The other three nodded in agreement as they went about the business of setting up their meal, with Virgil setting out their self-made tableware, Roman going to freshen up and change, and Logan assisting Patton in the kitchen with portioning out the meals from their reserves.

And later as they all sat around the table, Patton couldn’t help but smile about his wonderful family, both here in the walls and out in the house.

Because that’s what they were, all five of them.

A family.

**Author's Note:**

> My gift for [Lifewriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lifewriter/pseuds/Lifewriter) for the Secret Sanders G/T Event 2019.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a kudo or comment. Or you can also come over and talk to me on [Tumblr](https://davidthetraveler.tumblr.com/).


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